The Scottish Islands could make a significant contribution to the UK's 2020 renewable energy targets, according to a joint report by the UK and Scottish Governments.
The research considers the evidence base for developing renewables projects on the Scottish Islands.
And the Scottish Islands Renewables Project report shows that while there are significant potential benefits to developing renewables on the Scottish Islands, there are also considerable costs that need to be overcome.

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Key conclusions of today's publication include:

* Renewable generation, including onshore wind, wave and tidal, on the Scottish Islands could make a significant contribution to the UK’s 2020 renewables targets.

* The cost of deploying renewables is higher than comparable projects on the mainland, due to the expensive transmission links that would be required.

The work has been guided and assisted by a Steering Group, with representatives from the island communities, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the transmission companies.